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Greetings from Panama! My name is Marina Ehrman and I have been a professional tour guide and promoter for Panama Tourism and Travel Company since 2005. I love what I do and am proud to share what my country has to offer. It is filled with endless leisure and commercial attractions, friendly happy people who open their doors to all visitors. Panama is a country of incomparable natural beauty with a variety of tourist attractions, beautiful beaches in the Pacific and Caribbean. The tropical climate year round with its diversified flora, fauna and indigenous groups make it one of the most important of Ecotourism in Latin America.
I invite you to know our country’s history, culture and also enjoy the cuisine, folklore and traditions that only a place in the world can provide………Panama!
Contact me and I’ll organize your visit and will be happy to welcome you in Panama. For more information on Panama, follow my Facebook page and my blog. Visit www.panamatourismtravel.com

The Archipelago of Bocas del Toro is home to a semi-permanent population of Bottlenose dolphins. Its calm waters and abundance of small fish, crustaceans and squid seem to make the perfect grounds for the young ones' first stages of life. Calves and juveniles can be frequently spotted with their mothers, as well as small pods of 5 or 6 dolphins.

The dolphins of Bocas del Toro seem to have a special predilection for the bay locally known as Laguna Bocatorito (Dolphin Bay), which is about 12 km south of Bocas town (about 15 - 20 minutes by boat). This bay is bordered by the east side of Cristobal Island and an odd-shaped peninsula from the mainland. A labyrinth of shallow channels formed by mangroves screens its northern entrance, helping to make it a kind of giant natural aquarium, six kilometers across at its widest.

Famous for its abundance of starfish (you will literally encounter hundreds of them in this beach), Starfish Beach is a must visit destination of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. Starfish beach is located on Colon Island, on its north-western side (opposite side of Bocas Town). Even though it can be reached by bus from Bocas Town (30 minutes), most tours that visit Bird Island (about 30 minutes from Bocas Town by boat) make a stop at this beach, either before or after lunch. It's about a 20 minute boat ride back to town from Starfish Beach.

Due to its location, its waters are very calm during most of the year, except during certain times in November and December when the swell comes up from the north. Its crystal clear waters and abundance of starfish make it a big favourite amongst visitors of all ages. Definitively one of the most beautiful beaches in Bocas del Toro.

Swans' Cay, also known as Bird Island is birders paradise. Here you will find the only known nesting place in the Caribbean of the Red-billed Tropic Bird (Phaeton aethereus). Swans Cay is a rocky formation approximately 70 meters long, with a rounded quarter moon shape, pierced by two openings through one end, and rises 55 meters at the highest point. On the southern side, sheltered from the northeastern trade winds, there is a small sandy beach below a higher level area. Bushes and other vegetation cover the summit, and there is a small clump of coconut palms at the low end. A designated bird sanctuary, Isla Pajaros, also has brown booby (Sula leucogaster etesiaca), the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis), the frigate (Fregata magnificens) and many types of gulls and terns.﻿

The Isla Morada is surrounded by a fascinating history, long before transporting tourists across the Panama Canal. It was designed as a luxury megayacht for Boston millionaires. It was Built by Lawley & Sons, the company Cox & Stevens. All in wood, was built in the shipyards of the East Coast of the United States, and began sailing in 1912 with the name Santana. It had five luxury bedrooms, a lavish dining room, a library and was home to a crew of seven sailors. Among its owners was a very special one, the most famous gangster in history, the legendary Al Capone.

In the years of World War II it was requisitioned by the United States Navy, later to be acquired by a sailor who lived in Florida, which re-christened with the name of Isla Morada. It arrived in Panama in 1960 and served as a hotel ship anchored off Piñas Bay during the construction of the Tropic Star Lodge, the world famous sport fishing resort.
With capacity for 100 people, complete sets of Signs and Lighting, Help Communication System, Navigation lights properly installed and operational, and Fire Systems First Aid Kit. The conditions of the hull, machinery and electrical installations are periodically reviewed and are appropriate for making the spacecraft trajectories.

The ship has the following life-saving appliances:

6 bags with capacity for 132 lifeguards people.

Life jackets for 165 people.

Its dimensions are:

Length (L): 96.00 mts.

Beam (width): 19:00 mts.

Depth (draft): 5.00 mts.

Gross tonnage: 94.00 tons

The second boat we have is the Fantasia del Mar with a capacity for up to 434 people.

It was built in Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, E.U.A. by Eastern Shipbuilding Corp.

The Fantasia del Mar has the following life-saving appliances:

22 bags jackets with a total capacity of 440 people

Life Jackets for 440 people

Its dimensions are:

Length (L): 35.66 mts.

Beam (width): 8.69 mts.

Depth (draft): 3.23 mts.

Gross Tonnage: 465.14 tons

The third and last boat is the Tuira II with a capacity for up to 492 passengers with 2 spacious floors.

The main plaza in Old Panama occupies an important place in
the history of Latin American urban planning as one of oldest such space.

The quadrangle of Old Panama´s main plaza is small and
slightly trapezoidal in shape. Records indicate that in 1671 it measured approximately
69 x 57 meters, a very modest size in comparison to the huge plaza subsequently
laid out in Mexico and the Andean region. The archaeological excavation
conducted a decade ago suggest the the original plaza was even smaller as the
block on the north side, corresponding to the so-called Terrin houses, was
reduced in size in the early 17th century , thus providing 500 m2 of additional open
space .

The plaza is presided over by the cathedral tower, located
more or less at the center of the east side. Right of the cathedral stad the
ruins of the old cabildo or council, a small building that had a two stored
arade. the terrin house also had an arcade .On the west side was a row of wooden house,while the south side, where the prision is
thought to have been located, is buriedbeneath a modern building

The King's Bridge ( Puente del Rey) has legendary fame in Panama , comparable
only to the cathedral tower in Old Panama. It is not only the best preserved
bridge from the colonial period in the country but it also represents the spot
where the Royal Road commenced, along which passed the mythical riches of Peru
in route to Portobelo.

For a hundred years there was a wooden bridge over the
River Abajo- the north terminus of Old Panama but in 1619 building works
commenced on the present day stone structure , which has a single semicircular
arch with exquisite worked ashlaring. No one knows when the bridge was
completed, but apparently construction works lasted for years .

Soberania National Park is located within Colon Province and Panama Province. It is about 40 minutes from Colon, and 20 minutes from Panama City. Established as a national park in 1980, the park covers 55,000 acres (220 km2) The Charges River flows across the national park at the town of Gamboa.

There is a park headquarters with rooms for meetings and
audiovisual presentations, a store, orchid site, and natural trails. In Aguas
Claras there is a checkpoint and a forest ranger facility. There are three
natural trails: the Charco, the Camino de Plataciones and Camino de Cruces. In
the protected area there is a camping area. There 105 species of mammals, 525
species of birds, 79 reptiles, 55 amphibious and 36 species of fresh water fish,
so the park is an important wildlife refuge.

The jewels of the park are Trail el Charco in Gamboa and the
bird observation sites along Pipeline Road ( Camino del Oleoducto). The Camino de Cruces also
crosses the park. This was the road that the Spanish used to transport gold
overland from the Pacific to their ships in the Caribbean. Part of the paved
section has been restored.

The Park is made up of humid forest with its impressive trees
like, cotton tree (ceiba), cuipo (Cavanillesia platanifolia), mahogany and
guayacan (Tabebuia guayacan). The forest contains lots of lianas, epifitas and
orchids and the royal palm tress, fruit trees nance (Brysonima crassifolia), and
wild plums.

Portobelo National Park is located within Colon Province. It is made up of 86,000 acres, 20% of which are marine areas. It protects both coral reef communities and coastal forest. This coastline includes important stretches of coral reefs, mangrove swamps, coastal lagoons and beautiful beaches, where every year four species of marine turtle, including the threatened hawksbill, come to nest. Within the park is one of the more beautiful natural harbors of all Caribbean, the bay of Portobelo. The fortifications that are conserved surrounding the cove were named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1980. This means that the bay of Portobelo has been included on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee, whose goal is to preserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind.